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Many companies now look to custom software development as the ideal solution for organization and management. Some, however, avoid it completely, favoring off-the-shelf solutions instead. While the reality is that any company can utilize custom software development, Phoenix is full of industries that should ALWAYS consider it over any other solution for a variety of reasons. Here are the top three:

Financial Services

The world of finance is very different from any other industry today. Not only is understanding the data and math behind complex processes like securities valuations, risk and trading a must, there are also myriad compliance issues to consider. From portfolio managers to the traders themselves, those in the industry know that sacrifices in functionality can mean lost profits, and that’s not a choice you want to be up against. Custom software development here is a must. Because financial services companies are all different and they have a niche environment in which they must work, challenges abound, and only the right program can meet those. 

Healthcare

Patient care, insurance, HIPAA security, regulation, certification, billing and coding – the list of concerns when you’re dealing with any healthcare organizations is vast. While the list of vendors selling one-size-fits-all software programs is lengthy, for most healthcare entities, cookie-cutter software simply won’t make the grade. Each healthcare organization has its own angle, its own concerns, its own budgets, and choosing a software project that means meeting every aspect of an organizations needs is a necessity. You need a team that has expertise with medical software projects and knows enough about health interoperability standards to create the right solution to meet your needs.

Logistics

Business is about being at the right place at the right time, and in the logistics business, you understand that you need a software solution that will allow you to process and move as quickly as possible. In an industry where the margins are slim, a half-second delay caused by software not specifically designed to suit your needs is either going to cost you time, money, or a customer. The only way is to go with something that has been specifically optimized to meet your exact needs. 

Even if your industry is not listed here, there’s a strong possibility that off-the-shelf software won’t address all your company’s needs. In the long run, customized software development is always going to be the only way to move forward for your company. Off-the-shelf software is developed to appeal to the mass markets of your specific industry. By using off-the-shelf software you disregard the fact that the needs and potential of your business are as unique as the business itself and locks you into using the same technology as your competitors.

Kinetik I.T. has vast experience in developing unique custom software applications for all types of industries. Whether your business simply needs a current application enhanced or you need us to develop a complete solution from the ground up to fit your business, contact us and we will show you how we can make a difference in your organization.

As we pass the halfway mark in 2014, not much has changed this year in how social media affects our use of various outlets—perhaps with the exception of those taking part in the “99 Days of Freedom” experiment. The usual rules still apply, to post topics that are timely, emphasize the customer’s needs and building a relationship, make offers and information unique to the outlet, and, most importantly, use proper grammar!

While some companies fail to grasp these simplest of rules, others have not only embraced the use of social media to build their brand, they are taking innovative steps to connect with customers and offering unique incentives for those who interact. By integrating social media into their corporate structure and business plan, these companies are engaging with customers on a new level.

One such company is Whole Foods, who established a dedicated team responsible for monitoring social channels for customer questions, and concerns, as well as praise. After announcing in March that it would begin labeling GMOs, the company received a lot of customer questions and feedback, which it then used to create a initiative to educate customers and to answer the most frequently asked questions.

Hampton Hotels and Restaurants is another example of business getting to the heart of what matters to customers. The company employs a dedicated staff to listens to every single tweet, post, status update or comment about their hotels and restaurants—and for a chain of their size, that’s a lot of mentions.

Primarily, the staff members address the issues and complaints, but this company takes it a step further. In one example, a guest received a bowl of soup and a spot of tea. This may not seem terribly out of the ordinary. That is, until you consider that the guest, who was in a Maui hotel, had voiced her woes over social media that she was sick that day and couldn't go out. In addition to the thoughtful nourishment, the hotel included a get well card to her tray, for good measure.

Credit card behemoth American Express connects card members with merchant partners—millions of them—allowing a card member to load an offer directly onto their card via Twitter hash tags. Last March, the company launched a program with the functionality to tweet special hash tags to make purchases, allowing customers to buy products from companies like Sony, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Using social media in business is far from an exact science, and while the basic tenets may not change year to year, the inventive ways businesses engage with their customer base is evolving, creating its own niche.

Whether you’re migrating to a new platform, building a new store, or simply upgrading the one you have, shifting ecommerce platforms or making changes to your current system could actually do your company more harm than good. Unfortunately, the little things have the potential to kill your current optimization strategy, and a big shift in your site could mean a shift in your ranking. What can you do to implement your changes while preserving your rank? These tips can help.

Keep an eye on the information architecture during migration as well as the URL structure.

If you have an established site, the search engines know what to expect. The better your information architecture and URL structure, the stronger your SEO program. That could change as you work on your store, so be aware of the fact that you don’t want your pages competing against each other and you want everything you do to strengthen your site as a whole.

Look out for duplicate content!

There is no faster way to get your site in trouble from an SEO perspective than to have duplicate content on the site. Proper planning on the part of absolutely everyone involved can help you avoid this problem, though.

Don’t lose sight of traditional SEO tactics.

Ignoring standard SEO simply because you’re dealing with ecommerce isn’t necessarily a good idea. While there are some practices that may not be perfect for those with an ecommerce site, others, like solid text, are just the gold standard no matter what kind of site you happen to have.

When you’re looking for help optimizing your business’s ecommerce platform, call Kinetik I.T. We can develop a customized solution without compromising your overall SEO efforts, ensuring you get the services you need without losing any page rank in the process.

When whistleblower Edward Snowden released classified NSA documents in May 2013, the world suddenly became acutely aware of government surveillance of civilians—even of those who posed no threat to national security.

According to the Guardian, GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters, the UK version of the NSA) “files dating between 2008 and 2010 explicitly state that a surveillance program code-named Optic Nerve collected still images of Yahoo webcam chats in bulk and saved them to agency databases, regardless of whether individual users were an intelligence target or not.” Disturbingly, many of these images, it is reported, are explicit in nature. And, of course, it’s not just the government: hackers have also figured out ways to spy via webcam.

Unlike many viruses, Mac webcams are just as vulnerable as those installed in PCs. Most laptops with built-in cameras come with an important privacy feature: a light that activates when the camera is in use, with seemingly no way to be deactivated. Information to the contrary has come to light, however. As quoted in the Washington Post, “Marcus Thomas, former assistant director of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division in Quantico, said in a recent story in The Washington Post that the FBI has been able to covertly activate a computer’s camera — without triggering the light that lets users know it is recording — for several years.”

Since the release of the Snowden documents and what’s come to light in their aftermath, we’ve learned much more about the extent to which monitoring occurs, and have become more vigilant about online and network security, as well as the processes our computers employ while in use. 

While technical fixes exist to remedy this situation, sometimes an easy, old-fashioned approach is the most effective: physically obstructing the webcam while not in use. This can be accomplished by simply placing a post-it note over the lens, though more creative options are readily available on Etsy, including puffy felt stickers, snap-on plastic covers, and, of course, hand-crocheted ghost cozies.

To learn more about services and products – including Computer Network Managed Services & Remote Monitoring– visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

In the first years of the Internet, websites offered information in straightforward (if not always attractive) formats, created by men and women with specialized training, often self-taught. Today, nearly anyone can create a web presence—a blog or website, compatible on multiple devices and across various platforms. As a business owner, it’s possible to create a site, but the real question is: will it deliver the results you’re looking for?

While the “build your own website” ads look appealing, with easy-to-fill-out forms and low prices, they may not be the best choice for your business. Choosing a company specializing in professional website building offers many advantages over the drag & drop, fill-in-the-blank, pre-formatted online builders.

Cost

While hiring a company to design your website might cost more money up front, the benefits reaped from a fully functioning, easy-to-use website can be enormous. By using an online site to build your website, you could miss out on different ways and  techniques to create more traffic for your site. This is the expertise you need  that a website company brings to the table.

New Trends

When choosing a website company, you get the expertise and knowledge of a large set of individuals. These experts know what is trending in design and how to create a user-friendly site with calls to action.

Saving Time

Most businesses and individuals do not have the time or in-depth knowledge required to build a truly useful and informative website that sets your company apart from the competition and provides a great user experience for any visitor.

Exact Specifications

Do you have specific design specifications you want incorporated into your new website? Do you have a vision for what your website will look like? If this is the case, an online website builder will be unable to fulfill your website dreams. Only a website company can sit down with you and talk through the wants and needs of your new website and advise on the best way to accomplish this.

Recent studies have shown that having a potted plant can significantly increase a worker’s productivity and creativity. The findings harken back to a theory first published in 1980, called “attention restoration theory.” The gist of this theory is that our brains expend a lot of energy on tasks that require direct attention. This type of mental fatigue is only restored when that concentration stops. There are multiple ways to do this—meditation or a nap is ideal, though not always practical on the job. When we're awake, direct attention can be refreshed by shifting focus to something indirect. In the potted plant study, nature offered just this type of absorbing, restorative distraction.

While the basis for this theory lies in spending time observing nature, similar benefits are seen when individuals engage in other activities, such as playing games and playing with toys. That’s right—playing with toys. We’ve all heard tales of the Google and Facebook corporate campuses, where arcade games are common, and extracurricular activities abound (including gardening at Google’s London HQ). This is attention restoration theory at work.

Most businesses don’t budget or have the space for ping pong tables or pinball machines; fortunately, smaller games and puzzles also provide the rejuvenation that employees periodically need. Simple items that allow for tactile engagement offer similar benefits to restore the overworked brain and lead to high productivity and happier employees.

Visit www.kinetik-it.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

As industry becomes more reliant on connectivity, business needs and those of employees and customers are also evolving. Along with this evolution, web-based database applications have become the medium for the next century.

AppStorm describes a web app as an application utilizing web and [web] browser technologies to accomplish one or more tasks over a network, typically through a [web] browser. More specifically, an app utilizes computer software designed to help the user to perform singular or multiple related specific tasks, using Web technologies like Flash, Silverlight, JavaScript, HTML & CSS, Java, various other programming languages and other computer technology intended for the use across networks.

How can a web app provide more functionality and customization to your business? 

·      Compatibility: Unlike many desktop or smartphone applications, web-based choices are far more compatible, regardless of platform. The customer can access the app via web browser, usually without installing additional software. making your audience far wider than it might otherwise be.

·      Scalability: The world of business is changing fast, and so is the size of your company. It’s tough to predict where you’ll be and when you’ll get there, which makes scalability essential. You need a system that can grow and change with your company, and custom web applications can do just that.

·      Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t: When you’re dealing with an off-the-shelf solution, you’re getting lots of things that may not match your specifications. Custom web application design means your needs are the primary consideration from day one of project development. The entire application is built to meet your needs, and that means you’re going to have something that does exactly what you demand from the moment it is released.

·      Time Savings: Imagine automating a vital yet time-consuming process – what could you do with the time you save? Custom web apps offer the ability to change your company’s daily tasks, increasing your company’s productivity and efficiency with a single web application.

·      Financial Savings: Automation of your business processes or tasks will provide you with substantial financial benefits in the long run.

While the idea of customization may sound daunting to the owner of a smaller business, a web app specifically designed with your business needs in mind can automate helpful and engaging tasks, like alerting customers of new product releases or price changes, forwarding web-generated leads to sales representatives, even conducting business any time, anywhere, in any language and currency, through any distribution channel.

A web application designed and developed by Kinetik I.T. will keep your employees and clients informed while building credibility. Many of our clients have experienced a measurable return on investment by implementing web-based solutions.

To see examples of custom-designed web apps and learn how they’ve helped several of our clients, please visit our online portfolio. 

As a professional Phoenix custom software design and development company we often take over custom software development projects after the relationship with a fixed-price software development company has turned sour. The fixed-price pricing model for software and web application development projects may sound attractive to a customer initially, but unfortunately, both parties will most likely suffer in the end.

A fixed-price contract happens when the customer is guaranteed a fixed price to complete certain tasks and/or provide specific variables. A fixed-price contract might also have a limit for expenses, in which case the customer cannot be billed for any amount over these limits. In any arrangement of this kind, the specifications must be complete and detailed and the contract must allow adjustments to the price for any variation to the agreed-upon specifications. 

The only fixed-bid software projects that have a chance of success are those which cover additional time, in the event the software development company has underestimated how long it will take to complete the project. Estimating is often the hardest part of any software development project. Estimating a project’s timeline is never an exact science, especially for custom projects which may entail unexpected needs and wants on the part of the client, leading to “scope creep”; or unforeseen technical issues that are often out of the control of the software developer, leading to spending additional time to provide a “work-around”.

In business, it can be difficult to agree ahead of time on the scope of an entire project, and determining the specific details of the software requirements and performance criteria is no different. Similar to custom building a home, the unexpected and unforeseen will often occur in the middle of the process. While software design specifications and features may be decided upon in advance, building the actual product, taking into account the high degree of detail necessary, and leaving little room for interpretation is very costly and not always a good use of the client's resources and money. 

At the end of the day, the most important consideration is the final product and its overall fit and performance.  When considering a fixed-bid contract, whether client or developer, ensuring a quality end product is paramount. 

For the client, fully understanding project needs and outcomes, and working with a trusted company can go a long way to ensuring a successful outcome. When working with a new developer, consider starting with a smaller project, a kind of test run to ensure compatibility before delivering a larger project – especially one that may entail a fixed-price agreement.

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Statistics clearly state the case: nearly 100 million people use the mobile web daily, and smartphones are outselling PCs faster than ever. Transitioning to include your business site on the mobile web is a must.

So, how does your current website look on a mobile browser? If it’s not designed with optimized mobile settings, the aesthetic may not carry over well to a smaller, handheld device. Aside from a poor user experience, a sub-par mobile site can compromise the look, feel, and content of your company’s website, negating the time and money invested in developing thoughtful messaging and concise branding.

The simple fact is that, due to the limited amount of space and generally slower connection speeds, a mobile design needs to be both more simply designed and more task-based than the standard companion website.  Here are a few reasons to consider this shift to a mobile-optimized site – sooner rather than later:

1. Appearance: Your site’s design probably does not look as good as you think it does. Mobile web emulators abound online, offering an easy way to view your site across devices. Type in your URL for a glimpse at what potential customers see – does it offer the user experience you’d like customers to have? If not, it’s time to develop a mobile site.
2. Lagging behind: Chances are, your competitors already have a mobile site. Even if they were not early adopters, the biggest companies in every industry have a mobile site, and it’s a sure bet that your competitors are in that mix.
3. Increased traffic: Mobile sites mean better SEO. Google is bent on ensuring searchers have the best possible experience, and while no one is saying exactly what that entails, it’s certain that mobile sites for mobile users factor in somewhere, so capturing those who are looking may mean you have to go mobile.

You need only look around – to see the multitudes using phones to read, shop, and research – to understand how necessary a mobile website is for today’s business. Kinetik IT has been offering Phoenix businesses web and I.T. solutions, including mobile sites, that will enhance profitability for years to come. To learn more about services and products, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedInor Twitter.

At a time when so much information is stored in the cloud, and many companies  operate remotely, Microsoft Access may not be the first program to come to mind when thinking about database management. But in fact, Access is one of the most mature Microsoft products released in 1992. 

Microsoft Access is a powerful and useful information management tool which systematically stores information for reference, reporting, and analysis.  The way the data is organized allows for in-depth analysis, and management – far better than is possible with spreadsheet applications. More than just a list or table, a database is a formidable tool, allowing for relationships between tables and dictate which data is mandatory to be entered by the user and much more. This allows a user to easily retrieve, sort, analyze, and report data without compromise.

These points are moot, however, if a client doesn’t understand how a database can help them achieve their end results. When working with this type of client, start with the why.

If ten Access developers were asked what they do, the answer would, most likely, include several variations on this response: "I deliver custom business solutions for companies using Microsoft Access."

The above answer is correct – that’s technically what the developer does, and the how is by using Microsoft Access VBA. But what about the why? Why is it that they do what they do?

Data is the lifeblood that drives a company.Every company relies on accurate data to run their business. Without accurate data, there is no business. From orders, customers information,  to appointments, sales, inventory etc., it's all data and it's all vital in the operation of a business.

If data is the lifeblood of the business, a professional database development company can help by creating a solid database design and architecture which is the foundation of any database, ensuring integrity of the data. . Lack of data integrity has substantial consequences such as duplicate records, lost data, and orphaned records. Eventually lack of data integrity will affect your business operations. Access Developers are in a unique position to help business, from small to midsize using an amazing tool without parallel.

Thinking about the question again, a better answer would be something like this:

"Because data is one of a business’s most important assets, our passion is helping you protect and discover its power."

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.